Symbol of Affection
by Ryosei Takashi Hime
Summary: Well, it was real early in the morning and the ATBG episode about the ski trip came on. When Maci said Courtney Gripling wants you to go to first base? I had the sudden urge to write a CourtneyGinger fic. It's short and innocent. Unresolved Love.


It had been three years since high school and Ginger hadn't heard a word from many of her friends. Darren and she had broken up over some stupid thing or another late in their third year. Maci's family had moved to Japan and she still sent postcards from time to time to show she cared. The last she'd heard of Dodie she'd started working and moved out on her own. They lived separate lives now. Oddly enough the one person that still took the time to hang out with her was Courtney Gripling. Of course this could be due to the fact that her life hadn't really changed at all. There was no new job or life to distract her and she still seemed to have the same curious interest in Ginger's normal life.

Ginger herself did work and had recently moved out into her own apartment. She was working on becoming an author but in the meantime she had opted to work in the library where she was closest to what she loved. Sometimes Courtney would show up at lunch time and drag her out but usually they met every Sunday on Ginger's day off. Courtney would insist on taking her shopping or buying her lunch and dinner at fancy resteraunts she'd never be able to afford on her salary. If she was a different person Courtney could easily find herself being taken advantage of however Ginger refused far more of her offers than she accepted.

Today she was sitting at the library with her laptop staring back at her blankly. She often used her lunch breaks as a chance to work on her novel. She was so sure that she would be finished soon but the moment she reached "the end' she began drawing blanks left and right. She just couldn't seem to finish it. Maybe she should have planned more of it out before beginning but it was a little too late for that now. She tapped her fingers on the table and took a bite off her sand which as the blinking line on her wordpad glared at her defiantly, daring her to move it across the screen.

"Arugh!" she exclaimed, slamming her head to the table. "Why won't you get finished!?"

"Maybe it just doesn't like you." a sweet voice giggled. "I could hire someone to finish that off, ya know."

"Courtney, what're you doing here?" Ginger asked, sitting up to look at her.

She had grown into a beautiful young woman. During Jr. High Ginger had often thought there was no way someone as beautiful as Courtney Gripling could get more beautiful. Time had been good to the blond but the makeup she'd worn at such a young age hadn't. Her skin was still nearly flawless but the flaws it did have were being covered up with even more makeup. Ginger could tell her skin would age faster than necessary and thanked her mother for forbidding makeup from her. Courtney's hair had gotten longer. It fell just short of the small of her back now and she'd let her bangs grow out too. She kept the hair on her left side behind her ear but let it fall over her right eye. And those bright, blue eyes had gained some kind of deeper understanding. She no longer had a vacant stare and hanging around with Ginger so much had taught her plenty of good virtues.

"Oh, I thought I'd stop by and see if you'd died from boredom yet." she replied, sliding onto the table beside her laptop. "Are you still working on this same thing?"

"It takes a while to write a book." Ginger sighed, picking at the lint on her sweater.

Courtney made a face at the hideous brown thing as though it offended her. She was accustomed to wearing the finest of clothing and more often than not these days she would wear elegant dresses. She had been at least somewhat casual in Jr. High and High School but now she always dressed like she was going to a fancy ball. Today she'd fixed herself up especially nice in a red, satin gown with a slit up to her hip. Her red pumps were most likely imports and it wouldn't be a suprise to Ginger if they cost more than the diamond jewelery she sported. The diamond earrings she'd seen before but the huge diamond necklace had to be new. Ginger was sure she'd remember seeing that. Courtney noticed her looking after a moment and grinned.

"Oh, this?" she asked, gesturing to the blinding jewels. "Ma-ma and I went shopping when she came back from the Bermudas to celebrate her release from the rehab. Isn't it lovely? Oh! That reminds me! I almost forgot why I came!"

She giggled at her forgetfulness as she rummaged in her purse for Ginger's gift. She threw a few objects onto the keyboard of her laptop and Ginger picked them up as she did so. A pen, a notepad with tiny flowers in the corner, lipstick, a compact and a little red box. Ginger picked this one up and felt the urge to shake it for some reason. Courtney didn't notice her examining it until she did so and she laughed at herself again. She took everything else from Ginger and put it back in her pocket book. Then she took the box between her index finger and thumb with a blush.

"There it is." she giggled. "Silly me."

She took the top off gently and placed it beside her exposed hip. It was at this point that Ginger noticed a couple of teen-aged boys drooling from behind their comic books. She almost laughed but she was sure Courtney had already noticed them. She had the innate ability to tell when someone was staring at her. She also had the innate ability of forcing people to if she felt she hadn't been getting enough attention. Maybe that's why she'd worn such a revealing outfit today. Ginger looked up as she removed a ring box from within the small red one. Ginger blushed immediately.

"Oh, Courtney. You didn't have to-"

"No, no, no, Ginger. " she interrupted, putting a finger to her lips. "I wanted to get it for you so I did. Now don't ruin my fun and let me give it to you."

Ginger just blushed and smiled as she put the box in her hands. She had noticed for some time now that Courtney's already affectionate nature had increased suddenly. Not only her affections but the pushing of gifts into Ginger's arms whether she was willing to take them or not. She lifted the lid off the ring box as Courtney smiled, waiting in eager delight. She wanted to see Ginger's cute smile and have the satisfaction of making the other girl happy. She'd come to find that Ginger's expressions of joy and friendship were more important to her than money so she'd started trading one for the other in a way.

Ginger was shocked at the size of the diamond on the small golden ring. She almost dropped the box and put her free hand to her mouth. Courtney giggled and bounced around on the table at the look on her face. Ginger had never seen such a huge diamond. Not even anything Courtney owned was this extravagant. Ginger felt the box being lifted from her hand and watched - still in shock - as Courtney removed it. She took Ginger's hand gently and smiled with a strange glint in her eye as she put it on her ring finger.

"It's beautiful." Ginger managed to whisper. "But Courtney it must have been so expens-"

"Now, hush!" she exclaimed, clamping her hands around Ginger's. "You deserve nice things. You work hard and what do you get to show for it? Nothing! And you've spent your whole life being a good girl. You've never done anything wrong - not even for a second - so you should be rewarded, right?"

"But Courtney-" 

"I said, hush! Now, take the ring. It means a lot to me, alright?"

"Thanks, Courtney." Ginger whispered standing.

Courtney smiled as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her bare, slender shoulders. She returned the embrace happily and grinned into her sweater. She reveled in the experience. The feel of Ginger's body pressed against her own. The feel of the scratchy sweater sleeves on her back. The smell of Ginger's hair. She enjoyed every hug Ginger chose to bestow upon her as though it were the first and last she'd ever receive. Courtney had bought the ring with the plan of telling Ginger a very important secret but now she'd lost her nerve. She released the frizzy-haired writer as she pulled away and stared into her eyes with a smile, hoping Ginger would say something or ask a question that might force her to say it. Unfortunately she was still too shy about the large gift to say anything so she turned her eyes back to her laptop.

Courtney sighed softly as she slipped off the table and into the chair beside her red-headed angel. She would have to wait a little longer and probably buy a much more expensive ring next time. She knew Ginger didn't care about that sort of thing but she still felt it was necessary to prove how much she cared. How would it look if she had all that money and decided to get her a cheap ring instead? She didn't want Ginger to think she wasn't worth the best Courtney could afford. She giggled as Ginger came close to exchanging blows with her laptop over the frustration of writer's block. She slipped her hand into the other girl's and assured her she would finish. She was so smart after all. And so beautiful.


End file.
